Comparing the differences in the diversity of fauna species in the upper shore and middle shore

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Introduction

James Fung 23rdJuly,2002 Biology investigation --- Comparing the differences in the diversity of fauna species in the upper shore and middle shore Introduction In order to investigate the diversity of fauna species in the upper shore and middle shore, where the information can then be compared, I am going to carry out some samplings. Hypothesis For the upper shore, it is only covered by sea water for a very short period of time, which means that desiccation happens quickly. In other words, organisms and rocks are drying out very soon. And because of the short time in obtaining nutrients from water and the wide variation in temperature, metabolism in organisms is affected. This often leads to slow growth and poor productivity in organisms. Species living there have to be quickly adapted to such conditions. Even these problems also occur in the middle shore. But as the species in the middle shore are covered by the tide for half of the day, desiccation and variation in temperature and humidity are less severe. So we tend to find more living organisms in the middle shore because of the relatively stable environment for species. ...read more.

Middle

on the same shore (Port Eynon). Attachment 1, the map of Port Eynon. Safety Safety is one of the biggest issues when doing investigation, so we must be aware before actually doing it. For example, I can imagine that the rocky shore would be very slippery even with Wellington, so we should be extremely careful not be hurt ourselves. Statistical analysis In comparing the ecological diversity, diversity can be quantified by calculating the diversity index. D ? where D ? Diversity index N ? Total number of individual organisms n ? Number of individuals per species ? The sum of For the upper shore Number of limpets ? 12 + 11 + 7 + 8 + 1 + 6 + 7 + 6 + 5 + 5 ? 68 Number of small periwinkle ? 1 + 2 + 1 ? 4 Number of rough periwinkle ? 1 + 2 + 1 ? 4 Number of acorn barnicle ? 90 + 80 + 120 + 65 + 75 + 70 + 20 + 10 + 50 + 100 = 680 Total number of individual organisms ? 68 + 4 + 4 + 680 ? 756 D ? ...read more.

Conclusion

Evaluation When I come to evaluating evidence and procedure, I found out that t have come across a few problems or limitations and they could have affected the result I obtained. They are: 1) There are lots of rocky pools in the area, so sometimes I have had to reject some particular points chosen by random number table. This made my results not completely random. 2) Places that I have chosen in both shores were a bit lower than the rest of the corresponding shores, which means there were rather lots of seaweed covering the rocks than usual. And this made it hard for me to count the types and number of species in each quadrat. 3) I have move further left for the middle shore compare to the upper shore because of the place being occupied by the others. This might have slight effect on my results as the environment changed a little bit. 4) It was hard to define organisms. e.g. there are four types of periwinkle and some of them are quite similar and this could have affected the diversity index that I got. Overall there are no anomalies in results. End P.1 ...read more.

male until the age of about 1 year when they undergo a sex change and progressively become more female. Therefore the male limpets of this species are usually smaller than the females, and their size usually increases as they become older and more female.

One height was 4 meters from chart datum and the other height was 6 meters from chart datum. There were transect lines placed across the shore at both these heights. I then picked random coordinates and placed a 50x50 cm� quadrat at these coordinates and counted the amount of limpets within the given area at each coordinate.

To reduce any human error, one researcher will measure the fronds in each quadrat whilst the other records the data. This is so that the method of measuring the fronds is a constant one whereas if two different individuals were to do it the data may be collected differently.

The leaf form of the juvenile plant is most often recognized by its thinly elongated, 3-5 lobed leaves that are typically a dark, glossy green with whitish veins (Reichard, 2000). In its juvenile form, Hedera helix has adventitious rootlets located at the leaf nodes on the stem.

H1: There will be more limpets found on the middle shore. H0: There will be no more limpets found on the middle shore. I am going to use the following equipments in my investigation. Equipment Justification 0.25m 2 Grid frame quadrat to outline an area for counting the number of limpets within it.

This is because it can avoid as well as tolerate most of the problems of the seashore. Figure 7. Limpets are most abundant on middle shore Limpets are most abundant on rocky shores with high wave exposure and low seaweed growth.